saviour
by ohwhatsherface
Summary: AU. After killing his clan, Itachi decides to take on extra security for Sasuke's future.
1. passion

**prompt:** passion**  
><strong>**warning:** semi-au; takes place a year after the uchiha massacre  
><strong>note:<strong> the plan for this is a bunch of drabbles in the same universe. hopefully i get around to writing more of them. and you may have read this before on my writing journal. sigh. i have a soft spot for those post-massacre-itachi-finds-little-sakura-and-takes-her-with-him. also, to be clear, the relationship between itachi and sakura in this is strictly platonic. enjoy!  
><strong>disclaimer:<strong> i do not own _naruto_

* * *

><p>"Do you think Sasuke-kun is taller than me?"<p>

Sakura develops almost an obsession with his younger brother. That is, of course, his own fault, Itachi realizes, but he still finds her constant questions about a boy she's never met rather amusing, and to another extent, painful. Not only does she talk about him constantly, but Sakura reminds Itachi too much of Sasuke with her _curiosity_—natural for a girl her age. She, like Sasuke, also shows clear devotion to him. She hangs on his every word, his every order. _Do not walk at the edge of the dock, Sakura-chan, you might fall_ is obeyed immediately, as is _Eat your vegetables—they do not smell—eat them—Sakura-chan, they are good for you_, or _Don't jump in the puddles, sometimes shinobi use certain jutsu to make hiding places_.

Eventually she can tell what she should and should not be doing just by looking at him, which almost makes him weary. How could a little girl read him so easily? He lets it go, however. Little Sakura only wishes to please him, so understanding him wouldn't be harmful; perhaps it would even be beneficial. Still, he's only fourteen. He shouldn't be raising a child.

"Itachi-sensei?"

He remembers her question and thinks about it for a moment.

"Yes."

She pouts. "Are you sure? I'm pretty tall!" Itachi puts a hand on her head and raises an eyebrow. The gesture alone tells her plenty and her frown only deepens. "Okay, okay, _fine_. I'm not _that_ tall, but..."

"There is nothing wrong with being small, Sakura-chan," Itachi says.

"_Sensei_!" she whines. "I'm not _small_!"

He thinks her childish, but really, what else should he expect? Sakura didn't grow up in a shinobi village. He only allowed her to follow him because... Itachi frowns. He still isn't quite sure _why_ he keeps her with him. It isn't necessarily pity. Perhaps he feels _connected_ to her. He does see potential in her, though. While she may not be physically trained (yet), it is clear she had an aptitude for gathering information, a trait that will certainly prove useful for him later. After he trains her, Sakura will become a great asset.

But for now, she is simply good company.

"Very well," Itachi agrees. He decides to humour her. "Perhaps you may be the same size. Sasuke did not like milk," he says.

"Huh?" Sakura looks shocked. "But milk is yummy!"

Itachi smiles fondly, remembering how his younger brother would pour the drink in potted plants when he thought no one was looking. "Sasuke disagreed."

"But..." Sakura remains deep in thought during their walk. "But, Itachi-sensei..."

Her silence is prodding. "Yes?"

"You said I need to drink lots of milk because it makes my bones strong!" she says speedily, loudly. "If Sasuke-kun doesn't drink _his_ milk then his bones won't be strong! Then he might get hurt!" Suddenly, she stops walking and tugs at his hand. "Itachi-sensei, we need to go to Konoha!"

Mildly amused, Itachi asks, "Whatever for, Sakura-chan?"

"We have to tell Sasuke-kun to drink his milk!" Sakura tells him frantically. "Or he won't be as strong as Itachi-sensei! We have to go _now_, sensei!"

Itachi catches the edge of her cloak before she could run off in the Fire Country's direction. "We have a mission right now, Sakura-chan. We must go to Kiri, remember?"

She looks down at her sandals with a pout. "But... what about the _other_ mission?" she whispers.

Itachi pauses. He wonders if he should reprimand her for saying that. What Sakura liked to call her _other mission_ meant _protecting Sasuke_. Itachi sighs, regretting the obsession he clearly created.

"_That_ mission," he begins calmly, "is to always remain unmentioned, Sakura-chan. It is our little secret."

Her eyes widen when she realizes her mistake. She slaps her hands to her mouth and shakes her head. "I—I—I'm so sorry, Itachi-sensei!" she blurts out. "I—"

Itachi holds a hand up to silence her. "Sakura-chan, it is of no consequence."

"But—"

He places the hand on her head, smiling a bit at its immediate effect. She calms down and keeps quiet. "Right now, we can only protect Sasuke from afar," he explains gravely.

Slowly, she nods, accepting. "Okay, Itachi-sensei."


	2. haircut

**prompt: **haircut  
><strong>disclaimer:<strong> i do not own naruto  
><strong>note:<strong> this anthology will have a plot btw. i'll get into it later. promise!

* * *

><p>Naturally, as a child, Sakura is quick to get herself dirty. The yukata he originally found her in is always stained with mud by midday when she wears it so Itachi decides to find new clothes for her. He loans her one of his smallest shirts at first and thinks the Uchiha fan looks odd under her obnoxious pink hair. Later, when they get to a village, he decides to buy her a few outfits. She picks plain tops in reds and pinks and one in black because she wants to be just like Itachi-sensei. She gets a pair of longer pants and one pair of shorts. She pleads with Itachi to get the pretty white dress in the window, but he isn't moved even when she uses her cutest pout.<p>

Having a new set of clothes, however, doesn't do much to change her messy nature.

Itachi's face gives nothing away and Sakura fidgets under his gaze. When she comes to their camp with the guiltiest expression across her features, Itachi knows something is wrong.

"Um…" Sakura glances up at him. She meets impassive eyes that, in her head, are screaming disappointment. She sighs. "I'm sorry, Itachi-sensei," she mumbles almost inaudibly.

Itachi raises an eyebrow, silently inquiring what she was sorry for.

Sakura cowers even more. "I—" She bites her lip. "I ripped your shirt!" she cries. "I'm sorry! It was an accident, I swear!" He holds up a hand to silence her and she shuts her mouth for only a moment before bursting into apologies once again. "I didn't mean to!"

"Let me see it," Itachi orders gently. Reluctantly, she gives him the shirt. He looks over it carefully until he sees a small hole on the sleeve. He nods to himself. It's nothing he can't fix, and it certainly isn't anything Sakura should be fretting over. He sighs when he notices her shifting uncomfortably and trying very hard to prompt the earth to swallow her up. "Sakura."

She jumps at his voice. "Itachi-sensei, I'm so sorry! It got snagged in a tree when I was trying that wind jutsu you taught me so I could dry it after I washed it! I tried really, really hard to get it off but it ended up ripping and I'm so, so sorry, sensei."

Itachi nods once. "It is fine. You did nothing wrong."

"I didn't?" she asks, sounding adorably confused.

He almost smiles. Almost. Instead, he gestures for her to come closer and she hesitantly complies. She stops in front of him, staring up with wide eyes conveying more confusion than Sakura's probably used to. She's smart girl after all.

Then he notices the twig in her hair. _Twigs_, actually. He frowns and pulls a few out, then holds them in front of her. "From when you were getting the shirt?"

"…yes."

"I see." Itachi pulls out a kunai and rolls his eyes when she stares at him frantically. "You need a haircut," he explains, eyeing her waist-length locks.

"_NO_!"

Itachi is shocked when she launches back to the other side of the fire, clutching her pink hair fearfully. She pouts at him and shakes her head wildly. Itachi is mildly surprised. This is the first time Sakura's openly defied him since he'd taken her into his care. He almost snorts. And over what? A _haircut_?

"You can't cut it!" she yells. She looks ready to have a temper tantrum—something Itachi will most definitely _not_ entertain.

"And why is that, Sakura-chan?" he asks. Itachi decides to put the kunai away, hoping it will calm her down, and when the blade is no longer in sight, she immediately relaxes and lowers her hands.

"I…" Sakura looks at her feet and goes back to shifting nervously. "I want my hair to be long like Itachi-sensei's!"

Stunned, he merely blinks. "What?" Sakura plays with a lock of her hair while staring at the floor. She repeats herself in a frustrated mumble and Itachi holds back a small smile. "Very Well. However, we must trim it at least," he adds in a firm voice.

Sakura pouts, recognizing his _no-more-nonsense_ voice. "But only a _little_, okay?" she whines, kneeling down with her back to him.

He nods. "Only a little."


End file.
